Quality of life in head and neck cancer patients

Prof Fabio de Abreu Alves - AC Camargo Cancer Center, Sao Paulo, Brazil

In the congress I am President of the third Stomatological Congress of Brazil Society. Each year this congress is held in a different state of Brazil and this year we are organised together.

What are some of the challenges?

In general the dentists have two missions. The first mission is to diagnose the premalignant disorders. These lesions have the potential to become a cancer. Then if we diagnose this disease first we can do an initial diagnosis of cancer, we can prevent the cancer in our own mouth. Another mission – we take care of patients who have sore mouths related to oncological treatment like mucositis, another effect is xerostomia. We have the mission of integrating these oncological patients in society.

Have these treatments been well tolerated?

In most of the patients we have a good control of these oral side effects. It is interesting, some patients stop the oncological treatment because of these oral side effects like mucositis but in general most of the patients have good control of these oral side effects.

Any final thoughts on the congress?

This is the best congress already organised here in Brazil. Most people I have talked to are exciting and most are proud of organising this congress here in São Paulo. Then for us this is an excellent congress, the best congress of oral cancer here in Brazil, of course in the world.